When infected with phages, bacteria exhibit defence mechanisms against phages. Scientists have now discovered “jumbo phages” that “cloak” their genetic material in order to evade these bacterial defense mechanisms. A recent study published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe describes the first-of-its-kind discovery of a type of membrane-bound sac, or vesicle, used by jumbo phages of the Chimalliviridae family. Jumbo phages are phages with genomes larger than 200kbp.
The team of researchers from the Innovative Genomics Institute at UC Berkeley found that as soon as the jumbo phages infect bacteria, they form a shield around their genetic material, forming a vesicle/sac in a way that they can evade any defence from the host bacterium. Scientists named this sac an EPI vesicle. These vesicles were metabolically active, making RNA, and also, “they are getting ready to establish infection by synthesizing genes important for nucleus formation,” says co-lead author Phoolwanti Rani, a postdoctoral scholar in the Villa Lab.
“”When phages infect a bacterial cell, the EPI vesicle protects the genome of the virus during early stages of infection when it’s very vulnerable,” said Emily Armbruster, a UC San Diego School of Biological Sciences graduate student and co-lead author of the study. Armbruster identified curious DNA “dots” within infected cells under a light microscope. Professor Elizabeth Villa’s laboratory then used high-end imaging technologies to discover that these dots were tiny vesicles containing viral DNA and molecular machineries outside these vesicles.””
The new findings are part of UC San Diego’s advancements in developing innovative therapies using phages. Also, the university’s Center for Innovative Phage Applications and Therapeutics (IPATH) is the first dedicated phage therapy center in North America focusing on medical solutions to combat antibiotic-resistant infections.
Find the article here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1931312825000885?via%3Dihub
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